Removing Old Concrete Stairs

There are some old concrete stairs coming off the side of my house that the previous owner had started to try to remove but did not finish. How can I get these out of here without breaking my back. I had someone quote taking them out and disposing of the debris but it was really expensive. Right now I have just been trying to ignore them and currently have some interior crown moulding laying on them before it hits the trash but I would like to put some plants there or maybe a shed for my yard tools.

No dynamite is necessary (or advised) for this demolition. What I consider heavy equipment is not needed either. You can buy or rent a rotary hammer with a couple of chisel bits to break up the concrete into manageable sizes. Here are a couple of examples:

Hilti TE 7-C 120V Rotary Hammer Drill (uses SDS-Plus bits):

Bosch 10 Amp Rotary Hammer (uses Spline drive bits).

I own the Bosch one and it’s a great tool.

I think you will be surprised how quickly either of these will break up the steps into chunks. A professional would probably use a jack-hammer that runs off a towed trailer compressor. Now that’s heavy equipment, very fast but not necessary for a DIYer to get the job done. The only cost for you is the rental/purchase of the hammer drill and chisel bits.

I bought mine to break up the concrete footers to cedar fence posts that do eventually rot away. Even though rarely used, it has paid for itself more than once compared to contracting out the work.